Dr. Scott Raymond, Archaeology

With The Nickle Arts Museum’s opening of Ancient Peru Unearthed: Golden Treasures of a Lost Civilization, Canadians will experience a dramatic exhibition showcasing 1,000-year-old artifacts and treasures gathered as part of a unique 30-year scientific excavation of Sicán in Peru’s northern La Leche river valley.

The historic exhibition marks a decade of negotiations between Peruvian and Canadian governments, driven in part by Dr. Scott Raymond of the University of Calgary’s Department of Archaeology. The opening also marks a significant milestone in the development of a thriving relationship between Peruvian archaeologists and the U of C, which is contributing to the development of a strong and scholarly environment for archaeological research in Peru.

“It’s significant that these artifacts were not gathered through looting,” says Dr. Raymond. “The exhibit provides a rare experience for Canadians, highlighting the social, cultural, political and technological intricacies of the Sicán society that flourished more than 1,000 years ago.”

Unearthed with precision and insight

The exhibition showcases the contents from two archaeologically excavated tombs. The Sicán were a sophisticated civilization that predated the better-known Inca by almost four centuries. They produced high-quality glossy blackware ceramics. The intricacy of their work with gold and silver suggests a skill level unprecedented in Andean history.

Dr. Raymond and colleagues have been negotiating to bring the exhibition to Canada since the late 1990s. Dr. Raymond has been associated with the project as part of his extensive work throughout Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. He has helped bring South American archaeology students to study in Canada and students from the U of C have visited the Sicán Archaeological Project, and its partner the National Sicán Museum. Several will return to participate as part of their doctoral or master’s thesis work.

The exhibition will tour Canada into 2008, following the Sept. 28, 2006 opening and five-month sojourn at The Nickle. The exhibition’s lead sponsors—Willow Park Wines and Spirits’ The Vintage Fund, together with the Government of Alberta through the Alberta Lottery Fund, and AMJ Campbell Van Lines—have pledged more than $500,000.

Organizers of this exhibition anticipate that this promotion of Peruvian culture and heritage will increase Canadian tourism to the little-known region of Lambayeque. Local communities there are being encouraged to support eco-tourism by backing the international profiling of Peru’s cultural resources, reducing overgrazing and restoring the natural landscape.

U of C provides educational and practical support

The collaborative relationship between the U of C and the project continues to promote increased educational opportunities for both Canadian and Peruvian students. To advance teaching and research in the area and to support the National Sicán Museum, the U of C is donating a field vehicle and computer equipment together with access to important archaeological materials through the U of C’s extensive online library, thereby providing a link to a world-wide network of resources.

“Thanks to the commitment and involvement of the U of C in our research in Peru, and in establishing the exhibition’s visit—Canadians will experience the uniqueness, sophistication and beauty of handicrafts produced by this fascinating, relatively obscure 1,000-year-old culture," explains Izumi Shimada, professor of anthropology, The Sićan Archaeological Project, Peru.  "The most significant aspect of the exhibition is that it really tells us an in-depth story ‘behind the gold mask.’ Some people may have seen previously a striking image of the Sićan gold mask with ‘winged eyes’ that had been illicitly looted from a tomb on the north coast of Peru. But, this exhibit shows how long-term, multidisciplinary research can put the mask in its proper context and allow it to speak about the culture that produced it and the individual who was privileged to wear it.”

http://www.ancientperu.ca

http://sican.perucultural.org.pe/